Calling Mother Nature: Cell Phones Can Take a Hike
We were not alone, up high atop Mt. Chocorua. On any mountain, several trails lead up to that one destination, and oftentimes this is the only place you’ll see other humans. Among these humans, there is usually a communal feeling of shared difficulty, collective appreciation for the mountain, and quiet respect for nature. This is what hiking is all about, and for a few moments at the top, we discuss it with others we share the bond. We were about to engage in a conversation of this type with another group, when suddenly, like a fire alarm, I heard the most unnatural of noises. A shrill, mechanical song chimed out from the backpack next to one of the men. It screamed out, begging for immediate attention. I watched in horror as he picked his cell phone from his pack and answered. He chatted for nearly ten minutes, laughing and droning on about nothing to whoever is was on the other end: girlfriend, mother, stockbroker, co-worker. I was mortified. I wanted to rip the phone from his hand and pitch it over the side of the mountain and shake him saying “You’re missing the POINT!”
And I know that these sleek little demon boxes with bright colors and lots of numbered buttons plague us everywhere else we go in the world. In restaurants, movie theaters, bookstores, schools, the workplace, inside public restrooms, cell phones seem to gravitate to inappropriate places. The problem is that when you talk on one of these devices, you ignore everything and everyone else around you. Advertising tells us cell phones bring us closer, but they are really just running interference. It occurred to me, after the passing emotion of wanting to throw his techno-toy off the side of the mountain, the same mountain on which Pequawket Indian Chief Chocorua leaped to his death to escape the pursuing white man, that maybe he was telling someone how very beautiful it was there. Or how he had safely reached the summit. Or that he would be home in time for dinner. Somehow, in light of the beauty, history, and sanctity of this grand mountain, all those reasons just didn’t seem good enough.
Should he have left his cell phone home before climbing a mountain? As tools, cell phones can be quite handy. Many hikers in peril have used their phones to call for help, but at a price. The State of New Hampshire charges the victim to be rescued. Rescuing people is expensive work. On average, they cost
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